Effects of retinoic acid and butyric acid on the expression of prestin and gata-3 in organotypic cultures of the organ of corti of newborn rats

Prestin is the motor protein of the outer hair cells of the organ of Corti and a key factor in ensuring a high level of sensitivity of mammalian hearing. The factors that influence prestin expression are still largely unknown. We studied the effects of the application of retinoic acid, a ligand of a nuclear receptor, and of butyric acid, an inhibitor of histone deacetylase activity, on the expression of mRNA of prestin and Gata-3 in the organotypic culture of the organ of Corti of newborn rats using RT-PCR. Application of retinoic acid at concentrations of 1–50 μM results in a dose-dependent expression decrease after two days in culture. Treatment with sodium butyrate (0.5–2 mM) elevated the expression of prestin and Gata-3. Statistically significant correlations between Gata-3 and prestin mRNA levels were observed under all conditions. The data indicate that retinoid nuclear transcription factors, GATA-3 and histone acetylation/deacetylation processes may have a regulatory role to play in prestin expression. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 71: 650–661, 2011